Improvement in harvesters



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID S. MCNAMARA, OF NORTH HOOSIOK, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN HARVESTERS.

Spcification forming part of Letters Patent No. 17,69l, dated June 30, 1857.

To all 'whom it may concern Be it known that I, DAVID S. MCNAMARA, of North Hoosick, in the county of Rensselaer and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Harvesters and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a side view of my improvement. Fig. 2 is a plan or top view of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the two figures.

This invention relates to a novel means employed for raising the sickle when itis required to back the machine.

To enable those skilled in the art tofully understand and construct my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

A represents the main frame of a mower or grass-harvester. B is the driving-wheel, and O is the tongueor draft-pole,which is connected by ajoint, a, with the main frame A.

D is the finger-bar, which is attached to the main frame A, and E is a curved lever, which works on a fulcrum, b, attached to the fingerbar D.

To the back end of the lever a swivel-wheel, F, is attached, and to the front or opposite end of the lever E a chain or rope, c, is attached. The chain or rope c is connected to a shaft, d, which is fitted between the upperends of supports c, which are attached to the front end of the main frame A. On one end of the shaft d a hand-wheel,f, is placed, and a ratchet, g, is placed on said shaft. To one ot" the supports e a pawl, h, is attached, and this pawl catches into the ratchet g, the pawl being kept in the ratchet by means ot' a spring, h'. It will be seen that by turning the shaft d the chain or rope c will be wound on the shaft and the front end of the lever E may be secured at any desired height, the lever being retained in consequence of the pawl h, catching into the ratchet g,- and it will also be seen that by raising the front end of theleverE the fingerbar D, and also the sickle, will be raised. Consequently the sickle may be retained or secured at any desired height from the surface of the ground.

Between the lower parts of the two supports e e a shaft, t, is placed or fitted. This shaft has a lever, j, attached to it, said lever projecting outward at right angles from the shaft, and to the opposite side of the shaft a lever, 7c, is attached, said lever being curved downward and its end connected by a link, l, with a rod, F, which is fitted and allowed to slide freely in guides m at the under side of the draft-pole. To one side of the lever k a spur or projecting arm, n, is attached, and this spur or arm extends in front of the lower end of the pawl h, as shown clearly in Fig. 2.

Any proper device or arrangement of .parts may be employed for driving the sickle,the sickle being driven from the wheel B.

By depressing the lever j the shaft t' will be turned and the spur or projecting arm n will raise the frontend of the lever E. This lever is placed within reach of the foot of the driver, and is actuated by the driver when necessary. The yoke-ring in which the end ofthe tongue is placed, as usual, fits in a recess, o, in the rod,and when the team is backed the shaft 'l'. will be actuated through the medium of the lever k. The lever E therefore may be raised either by the driver depressing the lever j with his foot or by backing the team.

By this simple device the sickle, as far as adjustabilityis concerned, is placed completely under the control of the driver. It` the sickle becomes clogged or choked, by backing the team it will be raised before the machine is acted upon, and afew strokes of the sickle will cause it to clear itself. This is ot' great advantage, because sickles are all liable to clog or choke, and considerable time has been hitherto consumed in clearing-them In case any obstruction lies inthe path ofthe machine the sickle may be raised by the driver depressing the leverj with his foot without stopping the machine or checking its movements; and in case it is necessary at any time to lower the sickle entirely it may be done by depressing the lever j sufficiently to cause the spur or arm n to actuate the lower end of the pawl h so that its upper end will be thrown free from the ratchet g.

I would remark that this implement may be applied to either grass or grain harvesters.

I do not claim the lever E, Jfor that has been 7c and link l with the rod F, placed at the unpreviously used, and is quite a common deder side of the draft-pole G and connected with vice for raisingand lowering the sickles of harthe yoke-ring, substantially as described, for

Vesters; but, the purpose set forth.

Having thus described my invention, what I DAVID S. MGNAMARA. claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Witnesses: Patent, is- WILLM. TUSGH,

Connecting the shaft@ by means of the arm SELIM FBAS. COHEN. 

